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My baby sis got engaged the other day.
My Mum had called me the week before and told me that Karla's boyfriend had emailed my Dad and asked if they could get together for coffee. We had a pretty good idea what her boyfriend wanted to say. So my Dad and her boyfriend met up on Monday for coffee, and that's when her boyfriend told Dad how much he loved her, and asked if he had my Dad's approval to propose. The very next day, he proposed.
The wedding will be in August. A quick engagement, I know - but Karla and I had already been planning out wedding ideas and details months ago. I made some little Bridesmaid books for Karla to give to her other Bridesmaids.
In them contain color swatches, dress details, important dates, and little tidbits about each girl - what Karla loves about them. I think it's a nice way to ask the most important girls in your life to stand by your side on your big day.
I remember when I asked my bridesmaids if they'd be in my wedding. I made bouquets of paper flowers for them, along with a little card - and I went to see each of them individually and "proposed" to them - asking "Will you be my Bridesmaid?", down on one knee.
I am so excited for my sister. Fun times ahead!
UPDATE: For those of you who asked - I do sell Keepsake Books in my Etsy store here. If you are interested in me creating custom books for you, shoot me a convo and we can talk more.
I always have to touch.
When I was little and went on grocery store trips with my mum - I would touch everything. I would reach up and touch the bunches of lettuce, poke at the tomatoes... I loved texture. I am the same way now. I like to feel different textures - from the soft silkiness of a satin pillowcase to the gentle graininess of running my hands through a bowl of uncooked rice.
That is what drew me to New Ivy Style. This gorgeous store sells beautiful handcrafts as well as delightful vintage pieces - a variety of textures and color. I adore the soft colors and the peacefulness I feel just by looking at each piece. Iro-Ivy (aka Ivy Style 33 on Flickr) runs her gorgeous Etsy store from Frankfurt, and her items certainly reflect that European simplicity. She is mostly inspired by nature because of it's endless color combinations, her favorites being light blues, shades of gold and powder pinks.
Going on travel adventures also inspires Iro-Ivy. Exploring new cultures and learning about how different people express their feelings really interests her. Some more of her loves include decorating, crafting and admiring the river and parklands around her. She finds them all to be relaxed ways of engaging into things. Her favorite dessert is a warm chocolate soufle, served with ice cream and strawberries in the summer.
Iro-Ivy is generously giving away a prize to one lucky reader! To enter, please leave a comment here telling me what makes you feel at peace, and also let me know which prize you would rather win - the Leather Heart Mobile, the Vintage Ceramic Vase, or the Set of six Mini Cards. I will announce the winner on Sunday.
(PS. Come visit me over at The Brightside Project for more goodies!)
This weekend was so lovely.
The other weekend I had posted a picture of some Lavender clusters from our local farmer's market, and had me itching to go see the farm where it was grown.
So this weekend Brian and I drove out to Lavande - a gorgeous Lavender Farm in Bellview, Texas. It was a peaceful way to spend the day - walking, picking our own lavender, sipping Peach Lavender Tea... bliss! It's owned by a lovely husband and wife team - Craig and Dana, who truly have created another world for everyone to enjoy.
(PS. The winner of the Jamie's Jewels giveaway is Samy. Congrats!)
Music has always eluded me.
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It's so beautiful, so lovely, so evocative - and yet so far from my capabilities. I am about as musical as a bear. I took piano lessons when I was 10, but didn't keep up with it, and I regret it now! I would love to sit down and learn it all over again, and why not throw in the violyn and the guitar while I am at it?
What instruments can you play? Or what have you always wanted to learn?
My favorite time of the day is when Brian comes home from work. It's always so good to just snuggle up to him after a long day.
He always looks so happy to see me, as if we haven't seen one another in a while, and it gives me a warm hum inside. A husband that treasures you is like gold! I want to glam up this weekend and take him out somewhere fancy - just got to figure out where. But I know what I'd like to wear! Jewelry from Jamie's Jewels.
Jamie's lovely Etsy store is stocked to the brim with a diverse collection of unique jewelry. Her personal motto is to create "something for everyone", and her store definitely reaches that goal. With her recent inspirations coming from animals and sea creatures, her latest summer collection is full of darling pieces perfect for summer dates or dinners with girlfriends.
Etsy first captured Jamie's interest when she was introduced to it by her sister, an Etsy fanatic :) . Jamie had been creating jewelry for a while and always had the idea in mind to sell her own pieces, and Etsy proved to be the perfect avenue for that when she opened her store in March of last year.
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Jamie's inspiration is also drawn from her home. She lives in a quiet wooded area, the perfect environment to think, reflect and create, and yet she also has fast access to the local restaurants and culture in town. She also loves that her little corner of New Jersey is known for it's great schools - which is a definite plus for someone with a little one.
Jamie is generously giving away a pair of Silver Teardrop Hoops to one lucky reader. To enter, please leave a comment here letting me know what your favorite thing is about coming home. I will announce the winner on Sunday.
This Weekend:
SATURDAY:
Buckets and buckets of rain ..... Watching An Education ..... Making Cheese Dumplings .
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SUNDAY:
Church ..... Lovely Sunshine ..... Errands ..... Preparing and eating Mussels for Dinner .....Baking Hazelnut Cakes for Dessert .
What did you do Saturday and Sunday?
(PS. The winner of the Downtown Girl Designs Gift Certificate is Angie. Congrats!)
Textiles, ribbon, lace, textured fabric, pretty pattern... I wish I could sew well! I can sew to fix a hole in a shirt, but I am yet to master the art of creative sewing.
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Lita from Downtown Girl Designs has it down nicely. Her adorable Etsy store features charming pouches, pockets, clutches and purses - all sewn together with love, and in pretty patterned fabric. Each little piece seems to tell me a story, either a romantic little sonnet, or a whimsical fairy tale.
Lita's pieces are inspired by vintage pretties, good books, and most especially - her baby daughter. In addition to sewing, she enjoys cooking and entertaining guests, as well as traveling this great big world we live in. Lita also told me that she is in love with shades of pink and light blue. She finds them calming, and has incorporated these colors into her home, with a pink sewing room, and light blue being the main color of the rest of her home. And speaking of loves - I absolutely love the Little Owl Friends pouch above!
Like a good friend, Lita started out sewing gifts for her friends and family. Every time she made something, people requested her to make special items for them. After a while these orders grew, and her friends suggested that she open up a shop. As well as Downtown Girl Designs, Lita also opened up two other stores - Downtown Girl Vintage and Max and Olivia. These two stores are equally as charming as our featured store.
Lita's loves also include sweets. Her sweet tooth often leads her to vanilla flavors, with a very special weakness for cupcakes and carrot cake.
Our lovely Lita is generously giving one lucky reader a $30 Gift Certificate to Downtown Girl Vintage. To enter this giveaway, leave a comment here telling me about what you like most about sewn goodies. I will announce the winner on Sunday.
Mother's Day is the third largest mail day in the USA. That means in general, Americans pretty much adore their mothers.
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Brian and I aren't on the ball at all this year when it comes to getting out our mother's day gifts. It's coming up on Sunday, and we haven't mailed anything yet, but we've already let our dear mothers know that their presents will be a little late. I miss living close to family. Brian's folks and my parents are friends, and I know that if we were in California, we would all spend Mother's Day together with both families.
I think if I was with my family this Mother's Day I would throw a lovely Mother's Day party - adorned with brightly colored banners, fiesta style. Hmmm... or maybe I would throw a pastel tea party... or maybe I would have a Spring Themed picnic and give a lonely bird cage a new lease on life and fill it with prettily wrapped gifts...
What are you doing for your Mum this Mother's Day?
Don't you just love the versatility of white?
It can be glamorous, shabby, vintage, chic, contemporary, simple, luxurious. It really is an integral part of any style, whether it be interior design or fashion.
White to me symbolizes pure and fresh. A clean slate, a new day.
Perhaps that's what draws me to the Etsy store Villarreal Ceramics. Vanessa's gorgeous ceramic art is luminous. Each piece has an ethereal, gentle glow to it - it makes me want to decorate my home in subtle white and grey tones, with walls of shelves filled with her gorgeous ceramics.
Vanessa first heard of Etsy from friends that were enjoying selling their own items on this platform. Vanessa had just finished art school and at the time wasn't ready to start her own store - but years later when she moved to Montreal, she had initial struggles learning French and couldn't find a job, so she let her creative juices flow and got back into ceramics, and then Etsy. Her next big step will be moving to Arizona.
This moving from city to city has really inspired Vanessa's work. Trying to find the meaning of home despite all her traveling is an important inspiration to her, and the contrast of settling and escaping plays an echoing theme in her creations. She features a lot of images of houses and gardens which represent home and comfort, and then on the other end of the spectrum she depicts birds and ladders which speak to wandering and searching. Accompanying her inspiration from home, she is inspired by textiles - patchwork and weaving and the stories they tell. As well as her ceramics, Vanessa enjoys gardening, thrifting and the colors of celery and raspberry, along with all shades of grey.
Vanessa is generously giving away a pair of Northwest Sipper Cups to one lucky reader. To enter, please leave me a comment telling me a few places you've lived - and if you've only ever lived in one place - tell me your favorite thing about home. I will announce the winner on Sunday.
